SIDELINES...

PASTRY PICASSO

Confectioners and pastry chefs from the Basque region of Spain have created an edible version of Picasso’s Guernica from 1,102lb (500kg) of chocolate. The 24.6ftby-11.4ft (7.5m by 3.5m) replica of the 1937 painting was made to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It is being kept in a temperature-controlled room at the Reina Sofia art museum in Madrid before touring Spain, Germany and France. [UPI] 5 May 2021.

RHEAS ON THE LOOSE

Up to 20 rheas have been running around Maple Cross housing estate in Hertfordshire, close to the M25. Police and local officials were trying to “come up with a plan”. Failing to identify the owners, they concluded the flightless birds were effectively wild, and advised the public to steer clear, as they were “aggressive if cornered”. BBC News, 26 Mar 2021.

ANGRY PHEASANT

Postman Kevin Keeler has been repeatedly attacked by a pheasant during his village round at Brooke, near Norwich. Mr Keeler says the male pheasant has flown at him, knocked letters from his hand and pecked at his ankles during his round. He believes the pheasant, who he has nicknamed Mr Angry, is “just being very territorial”. BBC News, 25 Mar 2021.

YETI CHEERLEADER

Aman Tuleev, 76, governor of Kemerovo region in Siberia until 2018, has admitted faking a yeti to boost tourism. He told an employee to “turn a fur coat inside out and run around shouting”. Enthusiasts from around the world visited the Shoria mountains and an international conference was held in the area. Tuleev had previously organised an annual Yeti Day and offered a prize for proving its existence. D.Mirror, 10 April 2021.

CANADIAN CRIME

In Porcupine Plain, Canada, police investigating the theft of a pile of fenceposts from a rural property found the missing wood incorporated in a beaver dam. A spokesman described the incident as “extremely Canadian”. Humboldt Journal, 11 May 2021.